Burning of suspected chemical waste at a dumping ground in the Diva area of the district today caused locals to complain of nausea and eye-irritation even as movement of traffic was stopped due to heavy smoke rising from the site.
As the odour intensified at around 10 PM, the residents started coming out of their homes, an official from Thane city police control room said, adding that a few of them had to be rushed to the civil hospital.
Chief of Regional Disaster Management Cell, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), Santosh Kadam, who went to the site with firemen and police personnel, said that it was a case of burning of chemical waste at the dumping ground.
Officials said that some villagers, including a number of children, have been rushed to the civil hospital here, the Kalwa hospital, and the Kalsekar hospital at Mumbra.
Meanwhile, Kadam said that the movement of traffic in the area was stopped due to heavy smoke from the site.
As many as 10 villages complained of the foul smell from the area, he added.
